Wilder Country

Finn, Kas and Willow have survived the winter of storms. Severe winds and cold have kept the Wilders at bay. Now that spring has come, everything has changed. They’re being hunted again, and they won’t be safe while Ramage wants their blood. But Finn and Kas made a promise to Rose—to find her baby and bring her back. And finding Hope means finding Ramage...

Wilder Country is the exciting, action-packed sequel to Mark Smith’s highly acclaimed The Road to Winter.

Mark Smith lives on Victoria’s Surf Coast. His writing has won a number of awards and has appeared in Best Australian Stories, Review of Australian Fiction and the Big Issue. Wilder Country is his second novel.

‘The sequel to Mark Smith’s The Road to Winter is a page-turner with a heart and soul, tightly packed with exquisitely rendered action and nail-biting scenes of peril, all layered with emotional authenticity.’ Written by Sime

‘Mark Smith writes in a taut style that keeps the pages turning...Absorbing entertainment, this is what most young folk would look for in reading.’ Magpies

‘Issues of survival, trust and honour make this a great book for reading groups...A much anticipated sequel that reminds me of the Tomorrow When the War Began series.’ Lamont Books

‘If you love dystopian narratives with nail-biting life-and-death situations, then Mark Smith’s Wilder Country is for you. My only regret is that I have to wait until book three hits bookstore shelves.’ Kids’ Book Review

‘A riveting story of survival that questions the prices of freedom and safety as well as the value of an individual life...A breakout new series full of romance, danger, and a surprisingly engaging world.’ Kirkus, Starred Review for The Road to Winter

'It's easy to see why Mark Smith's dystopian thriller has been compared with John Marsden's Tomorrow When the War Began. I barely came up for breath as the pages flew. So strap yourself in for a high action ride.’ Kids Book Review on The Road to Winter

'Mark Smith's debut novel is assured, gripping and leaves you wanting more.' Sydney Morning Herald on The Road to Winter

‘A beautiful and intimate story...Like the best YA fiction, The Road to Winter is sure to appeal just as much to an adult audience, and I can easily see it being discussed as passionately by a local book club as a high-school English class.’ Otago Daily Times on The Road to Winter

‘Smith skillfully maintains an underlying tension. Whenever I put the book down, I felt as if I’d been holding my breath...The world Smith creates is convincing, perhaps because he takes real-world scenarios and kicks them up a notch.’ New Zealand Listener on The Road to Winter

‘A rip-roaring story—gripping and compelling, I couldn’t put it down. Mark Smith creates this dangerous, lawless new world and manages to champion the decency of youth. Very timely. And what makes it so powerful is that it’s frighteningly believable.’ Robert Newton